PVCs – how to reduce these in your daily life.

Not so long ago, lead paint was the norm. My work buddy was poisoned by lead when restoring an old Victorian house. Her behaviour was becoming more and more odd and at last she had a medical examination which showed that she had high lead levels. The treatment was a long bombarding with vitamin C. Lead paint is banned in most parts of the world (wouldn’t trust the 3rd world on that score!) and we are JUST beginning to get strict about other chemicals.

Be VERY watchful of ANY chemicals you are exposed to. Who knows what the future will turn up?

CNN has just had a great doc by Sanjay Gupta on Mossville (Louisiana, that beleaguered state of the USA) and the 14 power plants poisoning the community. It is worth a look if ONLY to make you re-assess your own exposure to chemicals.

Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in construction because it is cheap, durable, and easy to assemble. PVC production is expected to exceed 40 million tons by 2016. Most plumbing pipes are now PVC rather than terra cotta or copper.

PVCs contain dioxins or give off dioxins in their manufacturing process causing cancers and many other illness, Parkinson’s Disease being one that is strongly linked and allergies and asthma as well.

Phthalates are another matter and we will research a list of companies avoiding this chemical in another article.

Read labels. Look for substitutes.

Stay natural and avoid anything manufactured.

Glass is by far the best container and Pyrex is pure genius! Just don’t drop it on your stone benchtop…

Know which companies manufacture without PVC for a start!

Nike,

Apple,

Hewlett Packard,

Target

General Motors

Asics

H&M

L.L. Bean

Patagonia

Birkenstock

Crocs

Puma

Land’s End

Trek Bikes

BabyBjorn

Ikea

Evenflo

Gerber

Playtex

Lego

Peapods

Bed Bath & Beyond

Nokia

Sony Ericsson

Jansport

Saran Wrap

Moldex

McDonald’s Australia (no PVC toys any more)

Shaw Australia, Australian Made Blind Fabrics

PIPE SUPPLIERS:

Ribloc (Australia) — HDPE;

James Hardie Pipelines (Australia) — PE;

Wavin Hall (Netherlands/Australia) — HDPE/PP;

Geberit/Starion (Switzerland/Australia) — HDPE;

Europlast Rohrwerk (Germany) — HDPE;

Aquatherm (Germany) — PP;

Tersia (Austria) — PP;

Industrial Pipe Systems (Australia) — MDPE/HDPE;

Austral Pipes (Australia) — Vitrified Clay (VC);

PGH (Australia) — VC;

Naylor Claymore (UK) — VC;

Rocla (Australia) — Concrete;

CSR Humes (Australia) — Concrete;

Blucher (Denmark) — Steel.

Wavin Hall (Netherlands/Australia) — HDPE/PP;

Geberit/Starion (Switzerland/Australia) — HDPE;

Twebo Tubes (Netherlands) — PP;

Milnes/Akatherm (Australia/Netherlands) — HDPE.

OTHERS:

thepurplepenny.com – for coin collecting pockets that are PVC free

PLASTIC WRAP

Check the box! The Vietnamese stuff from the $2 shop has PVC.

Note that Gladwrap does still seem to have PVC – do not use in microwave. Use parchment paper instead or invest in some pyrex dishes and use them. Corning wear can ALWAYS be found at op shops (from 70s weddings, no doubt!) and the loose lids can be useful when used with lidless plates for microwaving.

Comments

Green purchasing, or Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, is a great way for corporations to reduce their environmental footprint. By manufacturing without PVC and other chemicals, corporations can reduce the amount of harmful substances in their products. Moreover, if they advertise that they don’t use harmful substances, their sales may increase. Win-Win.